State Senate standoff

The negotiations between Montgomery County Dels. Adrienne A. Mandel and Carol S. Petzold, both Democrats, over who should run for the state Senate have broken off, and both plan to run for the seat.

For weeks, Mandel and Petzold have been trying to agree on which of them would be a better candidate to replace retiring Sen. Leonard H. Teitelbaum (D-Montgomery) in district 19, which includes parts of Aspen Hill, Colesville and Olney in the Northeastern part of Montgomery County.

The discussions apparently got testy, with neither Mandel nor Petzold willing to concede much ground.
"Each one of us believes we can best serve the district," Mandel said.

Mandel, who was elected to the House in 1994, said she's running for Senate so she can better serve her constituents. Petzold, elected in 1986, counters that she has more experience.

The delegates will be running against John Mahoney , a lawyer and former chairman of the Maryland Young Democrats, and Mike Lenett , a lawyer and Democratic activist.

Mandel and Petzold's decisions to give up their House seats means Del. Henry B. Heller (D), who so far has remained neutral in the Senate race, will be the only incumbent delegate seeking reelection in the district.

But Roger P. Manno , a Silver Spring lawyer, and Alec Stone, a consultant who lives in Kemp Mill, are already running to replace Mandel and Petzold